The present invention relates to a marked golf ball and a method for marking a golf ball. More particularly, it relates to an improvement in an appearance of a golf ball having a mark superior in metallic luster as well as durability.
In general, a golf ball is marked with a pattern consisting of letters, numerals, a trade name, a logotype, and the like with one or more colors. As a method for making golf balls, various techniques are known including a direct printing technique as typified by a pad printing technique, a transfer printing technique stamping a solid transfer printing film with a die, a thermal transfer printing technique using a transfer printing film having a desired pattern of transfer ink layer on a base film, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 63137/1978. Other miscellaneous transfer printing techniques which do not employ thermal transfer printing technique have also been used. As ink used in such a marking method, printing ink has been widely used which is a mixture of an organic or inorganic pigment and an ink medium.
In recent years, customers"" tastes have been diversified and consequently customers have been in want of golf balls which are distinct from others in a golf ball market. More particularly, in marking golf balls, the golf ball needs to have a mark distinct from other marks and excellent in appearance. Therefore, providing such a golf ball will attract customer interest and contribute to stimulate the golf ball market.
However, since conventional printing ink used for the marking can only adjust hue by changing a ratio of pigments, such printing ink cannot have been sufficiently agreeable to the golf ball market needs.
Considering the golf ball is mainly used outdoor in day, the mark of the golf ball may be more desirable which shines notably under the sunlight and is clearly distinguished from others during playing golf.
As the golf ball is characterized by use outdoor, ink can be prepared containing metal particles such as aluminum particles, copper particles and the like, and a metallic mark with such ink may be applied to the golf ball in order to obtain the mark having luster under the sunlight. However, as an ink varnish (resin) is generally not compatible with the metal particles, such ink is inferior in compatibility, mixing ability, and dispersive ability and is difficult to be uniformed. Therefore, such ink is difficult to be prepared and consequently adjusted precisely to printing conditions. Both a direct printing and a transfer printing to the ball cause a problem so that an excellent result cannot be achieved. Especially, for a transfer printing technique, a pattern is printed on a base film such as a polypropylene film, thereafter the pattern is transferred by hot-pressing to a surface of the golf ball. Consequently, a poor aptitude for printing happens twice when the pattern is printed to the base film and the pattern is transferred to the golf ball as described above. As a result, dissatisfaction is increased because of the influences of such a poor aptitude of printing.
Even if the mark can be printed on the surface of the golf ball with the ink containing the metal particles, such a mark generally tends to be chipped because of incompatibility between the ink varnish and the metal particles and tends to be inferior in durability to a mark of the golf ball with the conventional ink in the present situation.
As a result of earnest studies to develop a golf ball which has an appearance unrealizable by only changing the tint, preferably a method for marking the golf ball with a mark having an excellent appearance by reflecting sunlight and the like and the golf ball having such a mark, the present inventors conceived of the present invention in consideration of this situation.
In a preferred mode of the present invention, a golf ball is provided having a mark of desired pattern applied with an ink composition containing a component which can afford to develop luster.
The ink composition contains 15 to 250 parts by weight of the luster developing component relative to 100 parts by weight of an ink resin.
The ink composition contains 5 to 150 parts by weight of the luster developing component relative to 100 parts by weight of an ink medium. The ink medium is an intermediate of printing ink and has a sufficiently printable function as ink by only coloring the ink medium. In general, the ink medium contains an ink resin, a plasticizer, a filling material such as an extender pigment and a filler, a solvent and the like.
For the golf ball having a mark superior in light reflectiveness as well as durability, the luster developing component as described above is a flake or scale-like, crystalloid or non-crystalloid nucleus coated with a light reflective material.
In a preferred mode of the present invention, the nucleus is a mica, the light reflective material is metal oxide or metal nitride, and suitably the metallic oxide is an iron oxide.
On the other hand, for a method for marking a mark of a desired pattern on a surface of the golf ball, the ink composition is produced by mixing the luster developing component and the ink medium, then the ink composition is applied on the surface of the golf ball.
For such a method as described before, as shown in FIGS. 1(a) to (c), the ink composition 10 is applied in the desired pattern on a base film 12 for a transfer printing film 14 to form an ink layer 16 on the base film 12, thereafter the ink layer 16 is positioned to the golf ball 18 surface, then the ink layer 16 is hot-pressed against the golf ball 18 to transfer the ink layer 16 to the golf ball 18 surface.
As shown in FIGS. 2(a) to (d), the ink composition 10 is applied in the desired pattern on a printing plate 20 for a pad printing 22, thereafter the ink composition 10 is adhered to the pad 24 by pressing the pad 24 to the printing plate 20. Thereafter, the pad 24 is pressed to the golf ball 18 surface to transfer the ink composition 10 to a surface of the golf ball 18.
As shown in FIGS. 3(a) to (c), the desired pattern on the printing plate 30 for a screen printing 32 is formed, then the printing plate 30 is faced to the golf ball 18 surface. Thereafter, the ink composition 10 is squeegeed on the printing plate 30 to transfer the ink composition 10 to a surface of the golf ball 18.